M'5^*i76. 


A^,       The  JPAN    AMERICAN    UNION 


rl,  ^' 


BRAZIL 


A 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


NOV  8      1961 

LIBRARY 
(tOVT.  PUBJ.  ROOM 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTIVE 
DATA 


If  further  information  regarding  Brazil  is  desired,  the 

Pan  American  Union  will  make  every 

effort  to  provide  the  same. 


L.  S.  ROWE, Director  General 

FRANCISCO  J.  YANES,       Assistant  Director 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
1920 


university  oi  California     _ 
Southern  Regional 
Library  Facility       J| 


BRAZIL  IN  BRIEF 

Area  J  8,485,777  square  kilometers  (3.276,358  square  miles). 
Population,  27,473,579  (estimated  1917). 

Capital,  Rio  de  Janeiro.     Population.  1.250.000  (estimated  1920). 
Language,  Portuguese. 

FOREIGN  CO>rMERCE.  1919 

Exports    $566,467,038 

Imports   346.907.226 

$913,374,264 

Principal  Exports:  CoflFee,  cereals,  rubber,  hides,  sugar,  manganese 
ore,  cacao,  tobacco,  herva  matte,  frozen  and  chilled  meats,  preserved 
meats,  etc. 

Principal  Imports:  Food  products  (principally  wlieat  and  wheat 
flour,  codfish,  fruits  and  nuts,  wines  and  liquors)  ;  chemicals  and  drugs; 
iron  and  steel  manufactures  (the  chief  items  being  fence  wire,  tin 
plate  in  sheets,  corrugated  iron,  cutlery,  structural  iron,  steel  rails,  rail- 
way axles  and  wheels)  ;  cotton  manufactures  (ready  made  clothing, 
hosiery  and  piece  goods)  ;  leather  manufactures  (boots  and  shoe*;, 
machine  belting,  trunks  and  bags)  ;  printing  paper,  etc. 

The  Climate,  owing  to  the  country's  vast  area,  is  diversified.  Extend- 
ing from  5  degrees  north  of  the  equator  to  the  33rd  parallel  south,  a 
variety  of  climatic  zones  is  encountered.  Although  the  geographical 
equator  crosses  the  northern  portion,  all  of  the  country  lies  below  the 
thermal  equator  (which  runs  through  Central  America)  and  thus 
occupies  a  favorable  middle  position  between  the  line  of  extreme  heat 
and  the  cold  southern  latitudes.  Due  to  the  greater  part  of  the  country 
being  an  elevated  plateau,  the  extensive  coast  line  and  the  greatest 
hydrographic  system  in  the  world,  the  solar  heat  of  the  tropical  por- 
tions is  greatly  modified,  sunstrokes  are  almost  unknown,  and  the  cli- 
mate in  the  populated  districts  is  surprisingly  agreeable. 

Chief  Physical  Characteristics:  The  country  may  be  divided  into 
two  large  physical  regions,  that  of  the  east  and  center  being  generally 
high  and  that  in  the  north  and  west  containing  extensive  plains  and 
valleys.  The  central  plateau  covers  about  half  of  the  Republic  and  is 
from  500  to  1,000  meters  (1.600  to  3.200  feet)  above  sea  level.  North  of 
this  the  great  Amazon  Valley  stretches  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Peru- 
vian Andes,  drained  by  the  greatest  river  in  the  world,  the  Amazon, 
having  a  length  of  6.296  kilometers  (3.850  miles),  with  about  200  afflu- 
ents. 100  of  which  are  navigable.  ^lountain  chains,  some  having  peaks 
reaching  an  altitude  of  3.(X)0  meters  (9,750  feet),  traverse  the  southern 
portion  of  the  country. 

Means  of  Approach:  With  a  coast  line  of  over  5.000  miles,  Brazil 
has  many  fine  harbors.  The  chief  ports  are  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Belem 
(Para^,  Sao  Luiz  (Maranhao").  Fortaleza  (Ceara).  Natal,  Parahyba, 
Recife  (Pcrnambuco),  Maceio.  Aracaju.  Sao  Salvador  (Bahia),  Vic- 
toria. Santos.  Paranagua,  Sao  Francisco,  and  Rio  Grande  do  Sul. 
Manaos.  on  the  Amazon,  although  1,(X)0  miles  from  the  ocean,  is  also 
a  great  port.  Many  direct  steamship  lines  from  Europe,  as  well  as  from 
New  York,  Boston,  and  other  American  ports,  afford  regular  and  rapid 
means  of  transportation  to  the  great  Republic. 


BRAZIL 


The  Republic  of  the  United  vStates  of  Brazil,  including  the  Acre 
Territory,  is  the  largest  of  the  Latin  American  countries  and  the  sec- 
ond largest  of  the  American  Republics,  extending  over  an  area  of 
8,485,777  square  kilometers  (3,276,358  square  miles),  or  somewhat  less 
than  the  United  vStates  with  Alaska  and  its  insular  possessions.  Brazil's 
area,  however,  is  about  646,000  square  kilometers  (250,000  square 
miles)  greater  than  the  L^nited  States,  not  including  Alaska  and  insular 
possessions. 

Brazil  is  situated  between  latitude  4°  22'  north  and  33°  45'  south 
and  longitude  34°  40'  and  7?)°    15'  west,  being  bounded  by  British, 

French,  and  Dutch  Guiana,  the 
Republics  of  Venezuela,  Colom- 
bia, Ecuador,  Peru,  Bolivia,  Para- 
guay, the  Argentine  Republic, 
Uruguay  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
Its  population  is  estimated  at 
27,473,579  (1917),  equal  to  3.2 
per  square  kilometer  (8.3  per 
square  mile), or  about  one-fourth 
the  population  per  square  mile 
of  the  United  States  of  America 
proper. 

Lying  entirely  within  the  Tem- 
perate and  Tropical  Zones,  the 
climate  of  a  considerable  area  is 
nevertheless  modified  by  the 
numerous  high  table-lands  and 
mountain  chains,  as  well  as  by  its  vast  and  extensive  hydrographic 
system.  Its  extensive,  fertile  plains  produce  all  of  the  fruits  of  the 
Tropics,  and  contain  luxuriant  and  almost  impenetrable  forests.  Coffee, 
rubber,  hides,  sugar,  manganese  ore.  cacao,  tobacco,  frozen  and  chilled 
meats,  preserved  meats,  herva  matte  (the  same  as  Spanish  yerba  mate) 
are  the  principal  articles  of  export,  while  raw  cotton,  beans,  carnauba 
wax,  lard,  manioc  flour,  Brazil  nuts,  lumber  and  rice  are  extensively 
shipped.  The  forest  wealth  of  Brazil  has  as  yet  hardly  been  tapped, 
and  it  is  said  that  no  other  region  in  the  world  contains  such  a  variety 
of  useful  and  ornamental  timber  and  medicinal  plants.  A  number  of 
])recious  metals  and  minerals  are  found,  and  it  is  one  of  the  few  coun- 
tries possessing  diamond  mines. 


COAT  OF  ARMS  OF  BRAZIL 


BHAZII, 


HISTORY 


Pedro  Alvares  Cabral,  a  Portuguese  navigator,  is  usually  given  the 
credit  of  having  discovered  Brazil,  when,  on  April  22,  1500,  he  landed 
not  far  from  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Sao  Salvador  (Bahia). 
Cabral  named  the  country  "Terra  de  Santa  Cruz,"  or  "Land  of  the 
Holy  Cross,"  and  took  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
Portugal.  No  attempt  was  made  to  settle  the  country  until  the  year 
1549,  when  Thome  de  Souza  was  appointed  Governor-General.  The 
country  had  then  become  known  as  Brazil  from  the  red  dyewood  found 
in  its  forests,  which,  at  that  time,  was  brought  from  the  East  and  was 
commercially  known  as  "Brazil  wood." 

The  Portuguese  Crown  divided  the  country,  making  grants  of  land 
to  Portuguese  nobles,  who  were  to  settle  and  colonize  and  who  received 
a  number  of  Indian  slaves  in  addition  to  the  land.  With  Thome  de 
Souza  came  the  first  Jesuits,  who  succeeded  in  obtaining  complete  con- 
trol over  the  aborigines.  To  prevent  the  Indians  from  being  enslaved 
by  the  colonists,  additional  laborers  were  imported  from  Africa. 

Between  the  years  1.555  and  1640,  the  country  suffered  numerous 
invasions  from  the  French,  Dutch  and  British,  who  sought  to  gain  a 
foothold  on  Brazilian  soil.  In  the  former  year  Admiral  Villegaignon 
established  a  colony  of  French  Huguenots  on  an  island  in  the  Bay  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  which  island  now  bears  his  name.  He  maintained  him- 
self there  until  the  year  1560.  The  Dutch,  in  the  year  1631,  took  pos- 
session of  Pernambuco  and  gradually  extended  their  power  over  a 
considerable  portion  of  Brazil.  Prince  Maurice  of  Nassau  was 
appointed  Governor  of  the  Dutch  possessions  in  Brazil  in  1636,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  year  1648  that  the  Dutch  were  finally  forced  to 
abandon  the  country. 

In  1640  Brazil  became  a  viceroyalty,  with  Rio  de  Janeiro  the  capital. 
When,  early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  Napoleon  invaded  Spain  and 
Portugal,  the  ruler  of  the  latter  country,  King  John,  retired  to  his 
American  kingdom.  He  arrived  at  Rib  de  Janeiro  on  March  8,  1808, 
with  all  of  his  family  and  court  and  opened  the  ports  of  the  country  to 
the  commerce  of  the  world.  The  centennial  of  this  opening  was  cele- 
brated in  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  1908  by  an  exhibition  of  Brazilian  products. 
King  John  established  schools  and  in  general  promoted  the  interests 
of  his  colony.  When,  in  the  year  1821,  he  returned  to  Portugal,  he 
appointed  his  eldest  son,  Dom  Pedro,  regent  of  Brazil.  Dom  Pedro 
was  in  sympathy  with  the  movement  for  independence  from  Portugal, 
and  on  September  7,  1822,  he  formally  proclaimed  Brazil  to  be  inde- 
pendent, and  was,  on  October  12,  1822,  solemnly  crowned  as  Emperor. 
Under  his  wise  rule  and  that  of  his  able  prime  minister,  Jose  Bonifacio 
de  Andrada,  Brazil  prospered.     Dom  Pedro  I  reigned  for  nine  years. 


BRAZIL  / 

and  on  April  7,  1831,  abdicated  the  throne  in  favor  of  his  infant  son, 
Dom  Pedro  11.  A  regency  was  a])pointed,  which  continued  until  the 
year  1840,  when  the  young  Emperor  became  of  age  and  was  crowned. 
Dom  Pedro  II  reigned  until  the  year  1889,  when  the  people  of  Brazil 
resolved  to  change  their  form  of  government  from  a  monarchy  to  a 
republic.  1'his  was  accomplished  without  b^loodshed  on  November  1.5, 
1889,  when  the  Republic  was  proclaimed.  A  President  and  Vice- 
President  were  elected  by  Congress  and  served  until  1894,  since  which 
time,  however,  they  have  been  elected  by  direct  vote  of  the  people. 

CONSTITUTION  AND  GOVERNMENT 

Under  the  constitution  adopted  February  24,  1891,  the  Republic  is 
a  federal  union  of  .States.  The  Government  is  divided  into  legislative, 
executive,  and  judicial  branches.  The  legislative  power  is  vested  in 
the  National  Congress,  which  consists  of  the  Senate  and  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies.  The  Senate  has  63  members,  3  for  each  State  and  3  for 
the  Federal  District,  elected  by  direct  vote  for  a  term  of  nine  years, 
but  is  renewed  by  thirds  every  three  years.  The  Chamber  of  Deputies 
has  its  members  elected  for  a  term  of  three  years  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  senators  and  in  the  proportion  of  1  for  every  70,000  inhabitants. 
No  State,  however,  is  represented  by  fewer  than  4  deputies.  Congress 
meets  regularly  every  year  on  May  3  for  four  months,  but  may  be 
prorogued  or  called  in  extra  session  by  the  President.  All  male  citizens 
over  21  years  of  age  are  entitled  to  vote. 

The  executive  power  is  vested  in  a  President,  who  receives  a  salary 
of  120,000  milreis  fabout  $36,000)  gold  per  annum.  The  President 
and  Vice-President  are  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years  by  direct  vote, 
and  may  not  be  re-elected  for  the  term  immediately  following  their 
own.  Should  the  President  die  before  serving  half  of  his  term,  a  new 
election  is  held,  but  should  his  death  occur  after  two  years  of  service, 
the  office  is  assumed  by  the  Vice-President.  The  chief  executive  is 
Dr.  Epitacio  Pessoa,  whose  term  will  expire  November  15,  1922. 

The  President  is  assisted  by  a  cabinet  of  seven  ministers  (whom  he 
appoints  and  who  are  responsible  to  him  only)  as  follows: 

]Minister  of  Justice  and    Interior. 

Minister  of  Foreign  Relations. 

Minister  of  Marine. 

Minister  of  War. 

Minister  of  Communications  and  Public  Works. 

Minister  of  Finance. 

Minister  of  Agriculture,  Industry  and  Commerce. 

The  Department  of  Justice  and  Interior    ( Minister io  da  Justiga  e 


BRAZTI,  9 

Negocios  Interiores)  maintains  relations  with  the  various  States,  has 
charge  of  the  administration  of  the  National  Territories  and  of  the 
Federal  District,  the  public  health,  sanitation  of  ports,  the  Federal 
Courts,  and  such  schools  and  institutes  as  are  maintained  by  the 
Federal  Government,  including  the  Polytechnical  School,  National 
School  of  Medicine,  National  Institute  of  Music,  National  School  of 
Fine  Arts,  National  Library,  the  Oswaldo  Cruz  Institute,  etc. 

The  Department  of  Foreign  Relations  (Ministerio  das  Relacoes 
Exteriores)  is  intrusted  with  the  relations  between  Brazil  and  foreign 
nations,  through  the  diplomatic  and  consular  corps. 

The  Navy  Department  (Ministerio  da  Marinha)  controls  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  Navy,  the  numerous  naval  apprentice  schools  in 
the  various  States,  the  Naval  College,  the  Library  of  the  Navy,  and 
the  Museum  of  Naval  Warfare. 

The  War  Department  (Ministerio  da  Guerra)  has  charge  of  the 
standing  Army ;  recruiting  conscripts  and  the  various  training  schools 
for  them ;  the  military  college  at  Rio  de  Janeiro ;  the  military  school  at 
Porto  Alegre,  the  artillery  schools,  various  schools  for  training  officers, 
and  munition  factories. 

The  Department  of  Communications  and  Public  Works  (Ministerio 
da  Viagao  e  Obras  Publicas)  controls  the  railways,  both  Government- 
owned  and  private,  the  post  offices,  national  telegraph  and  wireless 
stations,  construction  and  maintenance  of  ports,  irrigation  works 
undertaken  by  the  National  Government,  the  waterworks,  sewerage, 
and  drainage  of  the  capital  and  of  towns  in  the  National  Territories, 
as  well  as  other  public  works  undertaken  by  the  Federal  Government. 

The  Finance  Department  (Ministerio  da  Fazenda)  has  charge  of 
the  national  funds,  the  preparation  of  the  annual  budget,  and  the  serv- 
ice of  the  public  debt.  The  following  bureaus  and  divisions  are  under 
its  control :  The  Federal  Treasury,  customhouses,  national  laboratory, 
conversion  office,  national  printing  office,  "Diario  Official,"  bureau  of 
commercial  statistics,  bureau  for  inspection  and  control  of  insurance 
companies,  amortization  office,  and  the  Bank  of  Savings  and  Loans. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture,  Industry  and  Commerce  (Minis- 
terio da  Agricultura,  Industria  e  Commercio)  has  charge  of  the 
national  observatory,  meteorological  bureau,  bureau  of  statistics,  botan- 
ical garden  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  national  museum,  commercial  museum, 
the  lodging  house  for  immigrants,  the  iron  foundry  at  Sao  Joao  do 
Ipanema  in  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo,  the  divisions  of  colonization  and 
immigration,  geology  and  mineralogy,  and  agriculture,  the  latter  having 
four  agronomic  stations  and  a  number  of  experimental  farms;  the 
commission  for  the  economic  development  of  Brazil,  which  publishes 
pamphlets  and  data  regarding  the  resources  of  Brazil  and  maintains 


10  THK    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION 

agencies  in  Europe  and  America  for  their  distribution  ;  and  the  Federal 
Zootechnic  Institute. 

The  judicial  power  is  vested  in  the  Federal  Supreme  Court,  and 
there  is  a  federal  judge  in  each  State.  The  former  court  is  composed 
of  15  justices,  appointed  by  the  President  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  Senate,  while  the  federal  judges  are  appointed  upon  recom- 
mendation of  the  Supreme  Court.  All  of  these  judges  hold  office 
for  life. 

Army  and  Navy :  The  peace  strength  of  the  regular  Army,  which 
varies  according  to  the  budget,  is  42,196  men.  As  military  service  is 
compulsory  from  the  twenty-first  to  the  forty-fourth  year,  the  war 
strength  of  the  Republic  probably  exceeds  300,000  men.  The  Navy 
consists  of  57  vessels. 

Brazil  maintains  in  Washington  an  ambassador  extraordinary  and 
plenipotentiary.  Other  members  of  the  embassy  staff  include  a  first 
secretary,  a  naval  attache,  a  commercial  attache  (for  the  United  States, 
Canada,  Mexico  and  Cuba),  and  two  second  secretaries.  There  is  a 
consulate  general  of  the  first-class  at  New  York ;  a  consulate  general 
of  the  second-class  at  Norfolk ;  a  consulate  of  the  first-class  at  New 
Orleans ;  and  second-class  consulates  at  St.  I^ouis,  Chicago  and  Balti- 
more. There  are  honorary  consuls  at  nimierous  cities.  The  United  States 
is  represented  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  by  an  ambassador  extraordinary  and 
plenipotentiary.  '^Phere  is  a  consul  general  at  Rio  de  Janeiro ;  consuls 
at  Bahia,  Para,  Pernambuco,  Porto  Alegre,  Santos  and  Sao  Paulo ; 
vice  consuls  at  Bahia,  Para,  Pernambuco,  Porto  Alegre,  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
Santos  and  Sao  Paulo ;  and  consular  agents  at  Ceara,  Manaos,  Maran- 
hao,  Rio  Grande,  Victoria  and  Curityba. 

There  are  more  than  3,696  post  offices  distributed  throughout  the 
country,  thus  insuring  reasonable  facilities  for  postal  communication. 
The  Federal  Telegraph  had  in  operation  in  1917,  24,634  miles  (39,645 
kilometers)  of  line,  with  807  telegraph  stations.  The  telephone  system 
is  steadily  increasing  its  area  of  service.  In  the  matter  of  wireless 
telegraphy,  Brazil  is  advancing  rapidly.  A  system  of  stations  at  im- 
portant points  makes  communication  possible  with  remote  regions  and 
affords  communicating  facilities  between  river  points  and  the  interior. 
The  station  at  Belem  (Para)  is  capable  of  direct  communication  with 
the  United  States  and  the  north,  a  range  of  4,000  miles  (6,437  kilo- 
meters). 

The  money  of  Brazil  has  as  a  unit  the  milreis.  written  1$00C'.  The 
gold  milreis  (1,000  reis)  equals  $0,546,  and  is  the  unit  used  in  financial 
reports,  and  most  foreign  exchange.  This  gold  milreis,  or  its  multi- 
ples, for  coins  of  the  value  of  20,  10,  and  5  milreis  are  issued,  is  sel- 
dom seen  in  circulation.     The  ordinary  currency  of  the  country  is  the 


Courtesy  of  Fidanza  Studio,  Belem,  Pard. 

BELftM,  PARA 

Upper :  The  Executive  Palace.  This  imposing  structure  was  built  in  colonial  times,  and  for 
more  than  half  a  century  after  the  independence  of  Brazil  the  government  of  the  Amazon 
Basin  was  located  in  this  palace.  I^ower :  One  of  the  hotels  of  Beltim,  where  the  traveler 
finds  numerous  comforts. 


12 


THK    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION 


paper  milreis,  of  a  value  held  close  to  that  of  lj6  pence  (British),  32 
cents.  Slight  fluctuations  occur.  Paper  and  silver  milreis.  both  multi- 
ples and  fractions  thereof,  are  in  circulation,  and  form  the  basis  for 
commercial  transactions ;  there  are  besides  minor  coins  of  nickel  and 
bronze,  their  values  corresponding  to  the  reis  equivalent  in  the  paper 
currency.  A  conto  is  1,000  milreis  (written  1:(XX)$000).  A  gold 
conto  is  worth  $546,  and  a  paper  conto,  at  the  present  rate  of  exchange 
(October  1,  1920),  is  worth  approximately  $172.  The  metric  system 
of  weights  and  measures  prevails. 

The  Federation  of  Brazil  consists  of  twenty  States,  the  Federal 
District  and  the  Territory  of  the  Acre.  In  alphabetical  order,  with 
their  areas  and  populations,  capitals  and  populations,  they  are : 


Areas 

square 

kilometers 

Alagoas 58.491 

Amazonas 1,894,721 

Bahia  426.427 

Cearfi 104,250 

Espirito    Santo 44,839 

Goyaz 747,311 

Maranhao   459,884 

Matto    Grosso 1,378,783 

Minas    Geraes 574,855 

Parfi 1,149,712 

Parahyba    74,731 

Parana    221,319 

Pernambuco 128,395 

Piauhy     301.797 


Rio   de  Janeiro. 

Rio  Grande  do  Norte. 

Rio  Grande  do  Sul... 

Santa    Catharina 

Sao    Paulo 

Serjaripe    

Federal   District 

Acre  Territory 


68,982 

57,485 
236,553 

74,156 
290.876 

39,090 

1,117 

152,000 


Populations 

946,617 
459,309 

3.013,007 

1,291,574 
434,512 
487,646 
748,971 
215,807 

5.064,858 
922,622 
682,350 
661.251 

1,827.072 
483.094 

1.446.193 
473,659 

1,852207 
526,404 

4.466.196 

462.757 

908.819 

98.654 


Capitals 


Populations 


Macei*^ 

Manfios  

Bahia    (Sao  Salvador)... 

Fortaleza    

Victoria    

Goyaz  

Sao  Luiz 

CayabS    

Bello  Horizonte 

Bel^m   (Parfi) 

Parahyba    

Curityba    

Recife   ( Pernambuco) . .  . . 

Therezina 

Nictheroy  

Natal  

Porto  Alerre 

Florianopolis  (Desterro) . 

Sao    Paulo 

Aracajfl 

Rio  de  Janeiro 

Rio   Branco 


70.000 
80.931 

348,130 
80.000 
20,000 
16.000 
57,709 
20.000 
44.948 

275.167 
48.425 
67.806 

230,000 
50.000 
86.726 
30,000 

150,343 
40,000 

528.295 
28,780 

908.819 
5,000 


8.485,777  27,473,579 

The  population  of  Brazil  is  for  the  most  part  of  Portuguese  descent, 
and  Portuguese  is  the  official  and  popular  language  of  the  Republic. 
The  aboriginal  peoples  of  the  country  have  left  little  influence  upon  the 
European  settlers,  so  that  they  are  to  be  found  only  in  the  immense 
interior,  where  what  few  are  still  left  lead  a  primitive  life.  Altogether 
the  number  of  these  Indians  is  probably  not  more  than  500,000.  A 
considerable  increase  in  the  population  was  due  to  the  importation  of 
Africans,  in  the  early  history  of  Brazil,  to  form  the  basis  of  a  working 
population,  and  an  intermixture  of  their  blood  is  noticeable  in  the 
northern  areas.  In  the  southern  States,  where  immigration  has  been 
highly  encouraged,  there  are  probably  400,000  Germans.  In  the  cen- 
tral States,  Sao  Paulo,  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Minas  Geraes  especially, 
Italians  have  come  in,  the  number  being  placed  at  about  1,500.000.  Of 
Spanish  settlers  there  have  been  perhaps  400,000. 

The  interior  of  the  Republic,  from  the  Amazon  basin  to  the  western 
plateaus  of  Parana  and  Santa  Catharina,  including  the  immense  States 
of  Matto  Grosso  and  Goyaz,  is  sparsely  inhabited,  the  great  proportion 


THE  CUSTOMHOUSE  AT  MANAOS 


THE  MONUMENT  OF  THE  AMAZON,  MANAOS 

This  monument  was  erected  to  commemorate  the  opening  of  the  Amazon  River  to  inter- 
national traffic  in  1S67.  In  the  background  is  the  magnificent  Theatre  of  Amazonas. 
Maniios,  a  thousand  miles  up  the  Amazon,  is  the  rubber  metropolis  of  the  interior  of 
Brazil.     The  city  is  splendidly  laid  out  with  attractive  streets  and  numerous  fine  buildings. 


14  THE    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION 

of  the  people  being  much  closer  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  Thus  the 
coast  States,  and  especially  the  cities,  have  the  preponderance  of  the 
population.  The  chief  cities,  usually  State  capitals,  are  interesting, 
but  only  few  can  be  mentioned.  First,  as  the  capital  of  the  Republic 
as  well  as  its  principal  social  and  commercial  center,  comes  Rio  de 
Janeiro.  It  lies  at  the  south  end  of  the  Bay  of  Rio,  called  by  those 
with  qualified  judgment  the  finest  harbor  in  the  world.  Rio  itself  is 
called  the  cleanest  city  in  the  world,  and  the  claim  to  this  title  is  well 
founded.  It  is  not  a  crowded  city,  like  Paris,  for  with  only  one-fourth 
the  population  of  Paris,  it  occupies  twice  the  space.  The  number  of 
inhabitants  is  given  at  1 ,250,000,  but  undoubtedly,  counting  those  whose 
intimate  associations  are  attached  to  Rio,  even  outside  the  Federal 
District,  this  number  must  be  materially  increased.  The  city  is  beauti- 
ful in  itself,  and  every  eflfort  since  its  earliest  settlement  by  the  Portu- 
guese, during  the  Empire  and  even  more  actively  within  the  past  ten 
years  of  the  Republic,  has  been  given  to  enhancing  its  artistic  character. 
The  Avenida  Rio  Branco,  a  mile  long  from  north  to  south  through  the 
heart  of  the  city,  is  a  splendid  thoroughfare,  lined  with  massive  build- 
ings of  a  public  or  private  or  commercial  nature.  The  new  docks  at 
one  end,  the  various  clubs,  the  national  library,  the  municipal  theater 
and  the  Monroe  palace  at  the  other,  are  well  worth  study.  Numerous 
public  and  private  buildings  should  be  visited,  but  more  detailed  in. for- 
mation must  be  sought  in  suitable  guide  books.  The  botanical  garden, 
the  national  museum,  the  apex  of  the  Sugar  Loaf,  to  which  an  aerial 
tram  has  been  constructed,  the  summit  of  Corcovado,  Tijuca,  and  the 
delightful  suburb  of  Petropolis  in  a  mountain  valley  to  the  north,  all 
deserve  attention.  The  second  city  of  importance  is  Sao  Paulo,  popu- 
lation 528,295,  situated  at  an  elevation  of  2,500  feet,  about  40  miles 
from  the  sea,  its  port  being  Santos.  Sao  Paulo  is  the  cofiree  mart  of 
Brazil.  It  is  both  ancient  and  modern.  The  narrow  and  congested 
business  thoroughfares  contrast  strikingly  with  the  broad  avenues  and 
numerous  parks  in  the  newer  residential  sections.  The  Government 
buildings,  the  magnificient  municipal  opera  house,  the  Ypiranga 
museum,  Mackenzie  (the  American)  college,  and  the  Luz  railway 
station  are  among  the  many  notable  places  to  visit.  It  is  strongly  rec- 
ommended that  Bello  Horizonte,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Minas 
Geraes,  be  placed  in  the  list  of  cities  deserving  study,  because  it  is  only 
at  most  20  years  since  the  first  sod  was  turned  in  its  construction,  and 
today  it  is  a  city  of  50,000  inhabitants,  quite  Brazilian  in  the  best  sense 
of  the  word,  clean,  admirably  administered,  and  destined  to  become  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  interior  cities  of  the  Republic.  It  lies  a  night's 
ride  by  railway  from  Rio,  at  an  elevation  of  2,500  feet,  where  the 
climate  is  delightful  and  the  surroundings  attractive.  Other  places  of 
interest  will  be  mentioned  as  the  steamship  and  railways  are  presented. 


BRAZIL  15 

I 

PRODUCTS  AND  INDUSTRIES 

Agriculture  holds  first  place  in  Brazil,  and  the  industries  are  related 
closely  to  the  agricultural  rather  than  to  other  elemental  factors  of  the 
country.  The  Republic,  combining  as  it  does  one  of  the  most  immense 
tropical  areas  of  the  world  with  its  interior  sub-tropical  plateau  and 
with  its  fertile  temperate  areas  in  the  southern  States,  has  always 
relied  upon  the  products  of  field  and  forest  as  a  great  source  of  Avealth. 
The  sugar  in  the  north  and  the  cattle  in  the  south  were  known  abroad 
100  years  ago,  and  as  far  as  the  simple  necessities  of  life  were  con- 
cerned, Brazil  has  been  self-sustaining  since  earliest  times.  At  present, 
cofifee,  rubber,  sugar,  cacao,  manioc,  cotton,  rice,  Paraguay  tea  and 
tobacco  are  some  of  the  principal  products,  the  first  two  forming  the 
great  export  staples  of  Brazil.  Cofifee  derives  its  name  from  the  city 
of  Kafifa  in  Abyssinia,  in  which  country  it  is  believed  that  the  cofifee 
trees  originated.  Its  botanical  name  is  Coffea  arahica,  because  in 
Arabia  it  was  first  cultivated  and  exploited  in  the  present-day  use.  A 
natural  coli'ee  plant  grows  into  a  shrub  14  to  18  feet  (about  4  to  5^/2 
meters)  high,  having  then  a  long  and  slender  trunk  without  branches 
on  the  lower  part.  No  more  beautiful  sight  can  be  imagined  than  a 
great  coffee  plantation  during  the  flowering  season.  The  trees  cover 
the  hills  and  table-lands,  and  the  air  is  laden  with  a  delicate  fragrance. 
In  Brazil  coffee  trees  blossom  most  heavily  in  October,  but  they  con- 
tinue to  flower  more  or  less  for  several  months,  and  the  crop  is  har- 
vested in  May  or  June,  each  tree  yielding  four  pounds  or  more  of  coffee. 
When  the  berry  is  ripe,  all  other  work  on  the  plantation  is  dropped, 
and  every  available  person  engages  in  the  harvest.  Brazil's  average 
crop  may  be  estimated  at  about  12,000,000  sacks  (sack--=60  kilos.= 
132.76  pounds). 

India  rubber,  as  it  is  generally  called  in  text-books  and  official  reports, 
is  a  native  of  Brazil,  and  grows  wild  there.  Although  efforts  at  culti- 
vation have  been  successful  with  the  seed  in  other  countries,  and  even 
in  Brazil,  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  rubber  exported  from  the 
Republic  is  gathered  from  the  forests  of  the  northern  interior  of  the 
country  just  as  nature  grew  them ;  no  systematic  preparation  of  the 
ground  has  ever  been  necessary,  and  the  entire  care  of  the  rubber 
gatherers  has  been  given  only  to  obtaining  the  juice  from  the  tree  and 
of  getting  it  to  market. 

This  essential  factor  of  modern  industrial  life  was  utilized  first  by 
the  natives  of  America,  and  they  found  some  place  for  it  in  their 
domestic  economy  as  a  waterproof  covering  for  clothing,  boats,  and  for 
their  kind  of  bottles.  Caucho,  or,  in  the  aboriginal,  cahuchu,  from 
which  comes  the  corruption  caoutchouc,  is  the  earliest  word  applied 
to  rubber.     The  Brazilian  speaks  of  borracha,  and  this  refers  particu- 


RECIFE    (PERNAMBUCO).   BRAZIL 

Recife,  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the  Republic,  while  an  attractive  and  modernizing 
city,  shows  the  early  Dutch  influences.  The  upper  and  lower  pictures  present  views  of 
the  lighthouse  near  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  and  a  section  of  the  water-front.  The 
center  is  a  view  of  one  of  the  newer  streets  of  the  commercial  district  of  the  city. 


BRAZIL  17 

larly  to  the  product  of  the  Hevea,  the  rubber  tree  par  excellence.  It 
is  indigenous  to  the  region  of  the  River  Amazon  and  in  the  tributary 
areas  of  Peru,  Bolivia,  Ecuador,  Colombia  and  Venezuela.  Hevea  is 
a  large  tree,  of  slow  growth  and  long  life.  It  has  been  found  12  feet 
in  circumference.  It  requires  low-lying,  rich,  deep  soil,  and  abundant 
moisture.  It  grows  wild  in  Brazil,  but  not  in  clumps,  being  found 
rather  scattered  through  the  tropical  forest,  but  it  is  well  adapted  to 
cultivation,  and  has  been  planted  in  the  East  Indian  Islands  with 
success.  Manihot  produces  the  Ceara  rubber  of  commerce,  but  its 
habitat  is  a  high,  stony  and  arid  country.  This  also  is  native  to  Brazil, 
but  in  the  region  south  of  the  Amazon.  Castilloa,  next  to  Hevea,  is 
the  best  known  rubber  producer,  and  while  found  in  Peru  and  else- 
where south  of  the  equator,  its  principal  range  is  in  Central  America 
and  south  Mexico.  Other  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines  (lianas)  yield  rub- 
ber, the  most  interesting,  for  America  at  least,  being  the  guayule,  which 
is  a  shrub  containing  in  its  branches  a  pure  rubber  that  can  be  used 
for  every  purpose  to  which  the  latex  of  Hevea  is  applied.  Guayule  is 
a  native  of  Mexico  and  grows  on  the  elevated  plateaus  of  the  northern 
States  of  that  Republic.  Rubber  is  the  cream  from  the  juice,  the  milk 
or  latex  of  all  these  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines.  It  is  not  the  sap,  as  it 
plays  a  distinct  part  from  sap  in  nature's  laboratory.  Rubber  has  an 
exact  chemical  formula,  CjoHm;  it  is  a  whitish  solid,  opaque,  and 
forms  a  gelatinous  mass  with  ethers  and  the  coal4ar  oils.  It  will  also 
melt  and  burn.  Mixed  with  sulphur  in  proper  proportions,  it  produces 
the  substance  with  which  we  are  most  familiar,  the  rubber  of  commerce. 

Manioc,  corn,  cotton,  tobacco,  and  cacao  are  increasing  in  area  in 
Brazil.  ^lanioc  is  one  of  the  great  products  dating  back  to  prehis- 
toric times.  Properly  prepared  it  is  a  richly  nutritive  food  and  forms 
a  staple  for  bread.  All  Brazil  grows  the  plant,  but  it  is  used  chiefly 
along  the  littoral  and  on  the  lower  plateaus.  Rice  was  largely  imported 
up  to  1916,  but  is  now  so  extensively  grown  that  there  were  nearly 
30,000  tons  exported  during  191.9.  Sugar  cane  has  been  cultivated 
since  the  earliest  European  occupation,  and  Brazilian  sugar  has  taken 
an  important  place  in  the  world's  economy. 

The  grazing  and  live  stock  industry  has  recently  advanced  noticeably 
in  several  States.  The  establishment  of  additional  packing  plants  has 
given  a  great  impetus  to  the  industry.  In  the  State  of  Rio  Grande  do 
Sul  large  numbers  of  cattle  have  been  slaughtered  for  their  meat  and 
hides,  and  considerable  quantities  exported.  With  increased  facilities 
for  such  work  as  well  as  for  shipping,  the  south  of  Brazil  promises  to 
take  a  still  larger  share  in  foreign  trade. 

Textiles,  chiefly  cotton  goods,  comprise  a  large  percentage  of  the 
total  production  of  manufactured  articles.     About  25  years  ago  the 


<M» 


5  OS 


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C.2  ^■ 


its 


T.   5   ^ 


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ms^ 


BRAZII,  19 

first  textile  mill  was  started,  but  since  then  the  industry  has  increased 
remarkably  owing  to  improved  machinery  and  to  better  transportation 
facilities.  In  a  recent  year  there  were  produced  624,000,000  yards  of 
cotton  cloth.  In  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  alone  there  were  about  50 
cotton  mills  in  operation.  There  were  in  1919,  36  woolen  factories, 
with  1,400  looms,  in  Brazil. 

In  the  shoemaking  industry  there  are  several  large  factories  in  Sao 
Paulo  and  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  of  late  the  tanneries  of  Rio  Grande  do 
Sul  have  turned  out  a  good  quality  of  leather  in  many  grades,  offering 
competition  to  the  stock  imported  from  abroad. 

Among  other  manufactures,  excluding  food  products,  may  be  men- 
tioned :  furniture,  hats,  lower  grades  of  clothing,  matches,  and  other 
necessaries  of  domestic  life.  Foundries  for  simple  metal  work  exist, 
but  as  a  rule,  complicated  machinery,  preserved  foods,  and  the  so-called 
luxuries  are  imported. 

In  mining,  a  few  interesting  features  are  to  be  noticed.  The  State 
of  Minas  Geraes  possesses  immense  deposits  of  iron  ore.  As  the  rail- 
way is  approaching  the  district  where  they  lie,  they  may  soon  be  avail- 
able for  consumption  in  the  iron  and  steel  trade.  A  few  gold  mines 
are  regularly  worked,  and  many  fine  diamonds  are  found  by  the  min- 
ing companies ;  the  production  of  manganese,  monazite,  and  other 
minerals  continues  adding  steadily  to  the  industries  of  Brazil. 

The  forest  area  of  Brazil  has  been  estimated  at  1,500,000  square 
miles.  The  lumber  industry,  while  still  in  its  infancy,  is  making  rapid 
progress,  and  during  1919  woods  to  the  value  of  about  $v3, 500,000  were 
exported.  In  the  State  of  Parana  there  is  much  pine  cut  and  shipped. 
Cedar  for  manufacturing  cigar  boxes  is  shipped  from  this  State  to 
Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Bahia. 

COMMERCE 

According  to  the  official  report  of  the  Office  of  Commercial  Sta- 
tistics of  the  Ministry  of  Finance  of  Brazil,  the  total  foreign  trade  of 
Brazil  for  the  year  1919  was  3,512,977,939  milreis  paper,  of  which 
1,334,258,563  milreis  were  imports,  and  2,178,719,376  milreis  ex- 
ports. The  foreign  trade  for  the  preceding  year,  1918,  was :  Imports, 
989,404,603  milreis ;  exports,  1,137,100,271  milreis;  total,  2,126,504,874 
milreis. 

Expressed  in  terms  of  United  States  currency,  adopting  the  rate  of 
$1.00=3$816  (/.  e.,  3,81.6  milreis),  which  according  to  the  Office  of 
Commercial  Statistics  was  the  average  for  the  year  1919,  and  $1.00^= 
3$947,  the  average  for  1918,  the  trade  for  the  two  years  was : 

Imports  Exports  Total 

1918 §247,351,151  $284,275,068  $531,626,219 

1919 346,907,226  566.467,038  913,374,264 

Increase 99,556,075  282,191,970  381,748,045 


BRAZIL  21 

Fifteen-Year  Table  of  Foreign  Trade 

Years                                                                                  Imports  Exports  Total 

Milreis  Paper  Milreis  Paper  Milreis  Paper 

1905 454,994,574  685.456,606  1,140.451.180 

1906 499,286,976  799.670,295  1,298.957,271 

1907 644,937,744  860,890,882  1.505.828.623 

1908 567,271,636  705,790,611  1,273,062,247 

1909 592,875,927  1,016.590,270  1.609.466.197 

1910 713,863,143  939.413.449  1.653,276,597 

1911 793,716,446  1,003,924,736  1,797,641,182 

1912 951,369,558  1,119,737,180  2.071,106.738 

1913 1.007,495,400  972,730,516  1,980.225.916 

1914 561,853,181  750,979,758  1.312,832.939 

1915 582,996,096  1,022,634,105  1,605,630.201 

1916 810.758,972  1.136.888.335  1.947,647,307 

1917 837,737,951  1,192,174,875  2.029.912,826 

1918 989.404.603  1.137.100.271  2.126.504.874 

1919 1,334,2.58,563  2,178,719,376  3,512.977,939 

Imports 
The  imports  by  countries  for  the  last  five  years  were  as  follows : 


United  States 

United   Kingdom . . 

Argentina    

France    

Portugal    

India    

Uruguay     

Newfoundland    . . . 

Italy    

Sweden    

Spain     

Mexico     

Japan    

Switzerland    

Norway     

Netherlands    

Canada    

Germany    

Belgium     

Finland    

Chile    

China    

Denmark    

Austria     Hungary, 
other     countries.  . 


Total. 


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Paper 

Paper 

Paper 

Paper 

Paper 

187,872,954 

317,661,102 

394,890,411 

355.930.810 

640,511,000 

127,546,781 

165,281,248 

150,854,320 

201,877.800 

215,544,000 

92,575,260 

114,018,837 

109,305,764 

187,898,850 

204,448,000 

28,823,195 

42,157,352 

33.824.068 

47,347,932 

50,530,000 

28,879.258 

37,704,353 

27,242.177 

37,962,689 

39,718,000 

10,829,318 

13,149,889 

18.254.100 

12,348,535 

30,329,000 

8,590,993 

12,061,335 

16.193.140 

41,265,778 

29,602,000 

12,373,318 

13,979,969 

14.291,106 

23,708,817 

21,766,000 

25,528,167 

28,302,738 

16,608,511 

21,053,802 

18.261.000 

5.132,552 

10,524,255 

7,471,793 

9,397.802 

15.174.000 

8,431,710 

9,421,803 

11,305,476 

17,486,468 

14.727.000 

2,784,565 

5,231,570 

3,676,065 

6,439,140 

9.369.000 

209,933 

467,068 

1,358,798 

6,155,708 

8.848.000 

6,206,495 

10,289,541 

6,638.777 

7,624,625 

7,086.000 

9,626,081 

8,268,308 

6,854.157 

4,242,919 

6,582,000 

3,993,923 

4,831,201 

865,197 

1,175,400 

5,072.000 

4,776,747 

5,503,714 

4,531,324 

4,101,687 

4,366,000 

8.810,030 
1,004,059 

359,111 
1,157,232 

911,489 
408,769 

3. 208,000 

1,792.000 

1.214,000 

390,832 

237.295 

4,112,338 

1,403,398 

935,000 

677,888 

1.074.600 

720,147 

634,449 

654,000 

2,554.887 

4.595.577 

1,528,977 

781,567 

481,000 

759.287 
4,617,863 

6,295 
4,474,579 

1  617 

75,000 

5,889,430 

566,427 

3,966,000 

582,996,096 

810,758,972 

837,737,951 

989,404,603 

1,334,258,000 

The  value  of  the  United  States  gold  dollar  in  milreis  paper,  as  com- 
puted (the  average  for  the  year)  by  the  Brazilian  statistical  office,  was 
as  follows:  1915,  4S053 ;  1916,  4$257;'l917,  3$998;  1918,  3$947;  1919, 
3$816. 

By  percentages  the  import  trade  for  the  last  five  years  with  certain 
countries  was : 

Countries  1915  1916  1917  1918  1919 

Per  Cent.  Per  Cent.  Per  Cent.  Per  Cent.     Per  Cent. 

United    States 32.08  39.24  47.25  35.97  48.00 

United    Kingdom 21.94  20.39  18.01  20.40  16.15 

Portut^al    4.95  4.63  3.25  3.83  3.97 

France     4.94  5.11  4.04  4.78  3.78 

Germany   1.54  0.04  0.11  0.24 

The  imports  are  divided  into  four  general  classes.  Under  these 
classes,  for  the  years  1915,  1916,  1917,  1918  and  1919,  the  values  were 

as  follows : 


22 


THE    PAN   AMERICAN   UNION 


Class    I — Live    animals . . . 

Class  II — Primary  mate- 
rials and  materials  used 
in  the  arts  and  sciences 

Class  III — Manufactures . . 

Class  IV — ^Alimentary  sub- 
stances     


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Milreis 

Paper 

Paper 

Paper 

Paper 

Paper 

830,753 

2,131,580 

1,434,525 

5,494.109 

10,680,695 

Total. 


153,776,540  239,738.652  252,543,965  259.918.056   341.061.993 

209.054,260  343,090,152  386,942,094  443,521,830   659,846,504 

219.334.543  225,798,588  196,817,367  280,470,588   322,669,371 

582.996.096  810,758,972  837,737,951  989,404,603  1,334,258,663 


Exports 
The  exports  by  countries  for  the  last  five  years  were  as  follows : 


Countries 

United    States 

France    

United    Kingdom. . . 
United       Kingdom 

orders" 

Argentina    

Uruguay     

Belgium     

Italy    

Netherlands    

Sweden    

Denmark    

Spain   

Norway 

Portugal   

Algeria    

Germany   

Cape   Colony 

Austria    Hungary. .  . 

Greece   

Finland    

Egypt    

Chile    

Cuba    

Canada    

other   countries. . . . 


1915 

Milreis 

Paper 

427,863,538 

116,501.187 

123,634.815 

2.115.000 
51.754.528 
17,663,086 

32,126,105 
63,951.980 
92.644,668 
23,530,226 

6,006.893 
30.782.747 

9.291,346 

2,658,000 
397 

7,255.000 

'  's.sis.ig? 
'  .5,628,449 

2,867,727 

711,-578 

21,598 

2.407,040 


1916 

Milreis 

Paper 

520,498,933 

178,653,936 

131,116,040 

560,000 
67.992.473 
54,423.429 

68,'i62;465 
33,763.120 
31.275,896 
8,468,292 
8,993,198 
6,102,623 
6,261,043 
2,319,000 


1917 

Milreis 

Paper 

522.731.105 

157.220.265 

149.303.468 

441.000 

106,725.413 

85.801.941 

92,376!363 
5,987.785 
1.528.804 
3,073,229 

15,907,229 
5,639.136 
5,243,355 
1,479,000 


8,789,000         11,406,000 


9S,466 


1,852.207 
3,063.576 
1.2.55,769 
61,559 
3,237,350 


5,342,705 
2,850.691 
4.881,138 

'4!242i368 


1918 

Milreis 

Paper 

393,896,303 

102,416,439 

114,802,120 

22,298,000 

172,752,870 

118,504,757 

5,759,575 

120,998,352 

"5i545i343 

1,790,462 

25,421,068 

9,494,138 

10,401,872 


8.904,000 
2,435,625 

725,878 

3i26i.793 
3,468.056 
3,767,411 
3,529,734 
6,926,475 


1919 

Milreis 

Paper 

901,814,000 

463.793.000 

157.752.000 

18,098,000 

96,458,000 

95.824,000 

79,524,000 

66,773,000 

64,788,000 

55.681,000 

40,517,000 

35.084,000 

17,373,000 

11,567,000 

10.537,000 

10,523,000 

9,356,000 

7,326.000 

7,286,000 

6,803,000 

5.899,000 

5,429,000 

3,178,000 

337,000 

6.999.000 


Total 1,022,634.105  1,136,888,335  1,192,174,875  1.137,100,271  2.178,719,000 

By  percentages  the  export  trade  for  the  last  five  years  with  certain 
countries  was : 


United  States 

France  

United   Kingdom . 

Italy     

Netherlands    

Germany    

Belgium    


1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

Per  Cent. 

Per  Cent. 

Per  Cent. 

Per  Cent. 

Per  Cent. 

■41.82 

46.95 

44.68 

34.64 

41.39 

11.38 

16.15 

13.18 

9.00 

21.28 

12.09 

11.65 

12.52 

10.09 

7.24 

3.14 

6.18 

7.74 

10.64 

3.06 

6.40 

3.06 

0.50 

6!b6 

2.55 
0.48 
3.65 

The  exports  are  divided  into  three  major  classifications,  as  follows: 


1915  1916 

Milreis  Milreis 

Paper  Paper 
Class      I  —  Animals      and 

animal    products 82,622,651  153,704.874 

Class      II — Minerals      and 

mineral     products 22.869,475  43,059.571 

Class    III— V  e  g  e  t  a  b  1  e 

products    917,141,979  940.123.890 

Total 1.022.634.105  1,136,883,335 


1917 
Milreis 
Paper 

219,955.900 

72.440.655 

899,778,320 


1918 
Milreis 
Paper 


1919 
Milreis 
Paper 


231,232,012      338,130,639 

54,187,081         28,256,057 

851,681,178  1,812,332.680 


1.192.174.875  1.137.100,271  2.178,719,376 


BRAZIL 


23 


Principal  Exports  by  Countries  of  Destination 


1915 

Coffee :  Bags 

Total 17,061,398 

United  States 7,194,594 

France     2,499,222 

Belgium     

Sweden    2,333.386 

United    Kingdom 413,786 

Denmark     513,802 

Netherlands     1,486,994 

Spain    106,329 

Italy     710,800 

Argentina     269,987 

Norway   813,879 

Cape    Colony 219,625 

Algeria    77,213 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  620,489,676 

Cacao :  Tons 

Total 44,930 

United   States 14,813 

France 7,667 

United    Kingdom 8,540 

Netherlands   3,760 

Denmark 3,132 

Belgium     

Argentina     956 

Norway    353 

Sweden    4,290 

Total  value  -Milreis  paper  56,139,548 

Brazil  nuts :  Tons 

Total 7,G10 

United   States 3,787 

United    Kingdom 3,82S 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  3,920,038 

Skins :  Tons 

Total 4,766 

United   States 4,469 

France   24 

Uruguay    1 96 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  14,708,978 

Hides :  Tons 

Total 45,997 

Uruguay    9,S79 

United    States 19,849 

France 3,808 

United    Kingdom 7,103 

Italy     509 

Portugal    1,340 

Belgium     

Argentina ,               657 

Sweden    , 1,2S4 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  68,107,444 

Verba  mate  Tons 

Total 76,352 

Argentina   58,795 

Uruguay    14,359 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  35,967,032 

Sugar :  Tons 

Total 59,170 

United    States 21,929 

France     5 

United    Kingdom 21,027 

Argentina     1 

Uruguay    2,406 

Spain     

Portugal    12,931 

Total  value— Milreis  paper  14,484,068 

Beans :  Tons 

Total 304 

France   1 

Netherlands    

Germany   

United   Kingdom    (on 

orders) 

Italy 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  105, .001 


1916 
Bajrs 

1917 
Bags 

1918 
Bags 

1919 
Bags 

13,039,145 
6.577,390 
2.735,953 

10.606.014 
6,291,079 
2,104.262 

7,433,048 

4,562,429 

354,398 

68,015 

75,282 

782 

22,057 

12,963,250 

6,214,829 

3.370,824 

523,665 

662,055 

574,952 

125.724 

367,745 

145,814 

1,058,748 

250,424 

127,603 

195.800 

53,925 

£89,200,963 

2.034 
252.994 

48.751 
105.122 
156,482 
716,150 
301,221 
116,016 
297,816 

35,272 
440,258,284 

517,205 
308,646 
304,363 
252,607 

88,353 

1,109,433 

486,166 

149,004 

218,7.50 

225,385 
201,421 
199,838 
162,979 
112,328 
105.805 

352,727,250 

1,226,462,771 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

43,720 

16,541 

14,542 

5,784 

2  508 

.55,621 

37.930 

11,856 

1,391 

1,219 

468 

41,865 

30,432 

4,813 

93 

62,584 

33,577 

15,576 

3,566 

2,130 

1  182 

2,746 

1,248 

1,229 

551 

891 

50,371,171 

1,110 

482 

354 

48,084,383 

3,100 

552 

580 

39,752,007 

1,296 
1,103 

888 
93,265,453 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

9.882 

6,468 

3,414 

7,175,474 

16,057 

13,742 

2,276 

7,115.859 

6,749 

4,867 

1,425 

3,699,219 

24,998 

15,198 

9,797 

20,537.645 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

3,840 

3,554 

89 

92 

16,628,138 

3.045 

2,776 

17 

153 

20.816,337 

2.215 

2,047 

36 

113 

12,937.780 

5,166 

4,555 

305 

219 

51,077,015 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

53,510 

9.641 

25.026 

10,486 

3,788 

256 

1,796 

39,912 

8,207 

21,190 

2,126 

5,815 

455 

979 

45,584 
11,734 
6,923 
5,288 
9,023 
9,634 
1,443 

56,788 

16,232 

15,734 

7,154 

5,900 

3,045 

789 

732 

1,778 
99 

388 

959 

710 

204 

87,779,265 

78,796,487 

75,019,097 

100,997,022 

Tons 

76,776 

56,699 

16,652 

38,075,969 

Tons 

65,431 

47.134 

15,781 

33,971,265 

Tons 

72.781 

51.517 

17,852 

39,750,120 

Tons 

90.199 

64,647 

21,214 

52.512.416 

Tons 

54.437 

4,190 

3 

16,232 

13.644 

16,797 

1.606 

Tons 

138,159 

2,284 

6 

23,308 

64.210 

40,197 

819 

38 

72,922,557 

Tons 

115,633 

2 

4 

8,669 

61,292 

30,870 

Tons 

69,430 

18,380 

16,303 

13,444 

5,783 

5,747 

2,100 

1.884 
25,966.730 

504 
100,611,613 

2,017 
57.630.059 

Tons 
45.816 
34,138 

Tons 
r.3,536 
34,656 

Tons 
70,913 
16,739 
».. 

Tons 
58,607 
28.127 
11.360 

5,248 

13,343 

11,460 

31.298.893 

4.052 

1.023 
13,812,859 

5,798 
40,625,942 

4.652 
20.845,206 

24 


the;    pan    AMERICAN    UNION 


Manioc  flour : 

Total 

United    Kingdom 

France  

Portugal    

Uruguay    

Argentina 

Total  value — Milreis  paper 

Rice: 

Tott.1 

Argentina     

Uruguay     

Netherlands    

Germany   

France     

Total  value — Milreis  paper 

Frozen  and  chilled  meats: 
Total 

Italy     

United    Kingdom 

France     

United  Kingdom  (on 
orders) 

Netherlands    

United   States 

Total  value — Milreis  paper 

Preserved  meats : 

Total 

United   States 

United    Kingdom 

Uruguay    

Belgium   

Argentina     

Total  value — Milreis  paper 
Carnauba  wax  : 

Total 

United   States 

United    Kingdom 

France  

Total  value — Milreis  paper 

Manganese  ore : 

Total 

United   States 

Total  value — Milreis  paper 

Rubber : 

Total 

United   States 

United    Kingdom 

France  

Uruguay    

Total  value — Milreis  paper 

Tobacco,  leaf : 

Total 

France     

Netherlands   

Belgium     

Argentina     

Germany    

Spain   

Denmark     

Uruguay    

Sweden    

United  States 

United    Kingdom 

Total  value — ^Milreis  paper 

Cotton,  raw : 

Total 

United    Kingdom 

France   

Portugal    

Netherlands    

United    States 

Italy    

Belgium  

Total  value — Milveis  paper 

Cotton  seed : 

Total 

United    Kingdom 

Total  value — Milreis  paper 


Tons 

4,528 

3 

2 

278 

2,113 

2,191 

837,200 

Tons 


11 


7,932 

Tons 

8,514 

2,055 

4,360 

101 


1.997 
6,121,529 


Tons 


123 

2 

121 


162,738 

Tons 

5,897 

2,481 

3,054 

287 

9,596,132 

Tons 

288,671 

266,871 

10,529,710 

Tons 

31,550 

18,846 

11,847 

144 

479 

125,899,159 

Tons 
26,894 
6,581 
3,938 


7,300 


2,438 
406 
808 

seo 

1,953 

222 

22,300,358 

Tons 

5,227 

4,319 


762 
146 


5,496,037 

Tons 

10,017 

9,286 

797,639 


Tons  Tons 

5,369  18,745 

21  7,697 

154  2,042 

1,426  1,406 

2,349  3,886 

1,373  3,445 

1,351,736  5,264,137 

Tons  Tons 

1,315  44,339 

439  17,436 

875  6,784 

.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'   18,857 

565,479  24,093,004 

Tons  Tons 

33,661  66,452 

20,985  50,420 

5,734  3,961 

4,455  5,184 


2.486 
28,192,589 


Tons 


856 


744 
110 


1,584,358 

Tons 

4,167 

2,216 

1,324 

540 

7,976,891 

Tons 
503,130 
503,120 
29,503,973 

Tons 

28,865 

13,463 

9,739 

231 

218 

144,113,000 

Tons 
21,021 
3.919 
9,637 

3,'577 

641 

1,148 

716 

245 

399 

97 

29,889,473 

Tons 
1,071 
1,033 


2,399.963 

Tons 

11,762 

11,761 

1,409,731 


Tons 

Tons 

65,322 

21,834 

32,962 

8,920 

23,060 

7,182 

717 

2,462 

3,388 

1,706 

2,976 

1,003 

28,424,395 

7,135,101 

Tons 

Tons 

27,915 

28,422 

18,450 

14,U68 

5.495 

6,184 

2,426 

2,410 

2,200 

1,878 

18,702.276 

19,592,409 

Tons 

Tons 

60,509 

54,094 

29,369 

18,661 

14,817 

13,172 

3,796 

12,606 

12,526  6,263 

120 

950   56 

60,232,840  60,755,190  60,183,151 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

6,552  17,223  25,398 

580  1,926  10,237 

4,390  9,041  7,439 

1,266  5,425  6,320 

715 

129  571  331 
9,206,291  26,301,634  42,243,491 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

3.669  4,214  6,224 
2,122  2,844  3,180 
1,368  800  1,465 

130  504  899 
8,421,803  20,432,956  20,539,680 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

532,855  393,388  205,725 

532.855  392,459  205,725 

57,284,015  45,843,040  16,913,340 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

31,589  22,211  32,213 

20,165  17,692  22,932 

10,901  3,278  6,529 

219  871  2,185 

115  176  159 

137,524,274  72,543,245  103,220,001 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

25,%82  29,010  42,575 

7.670  6.311  11,359 
61   7.562 

5,540 

8,180  7,298  4,196 

2.986 

6,905  9.004  2.979 

596   2.303 

1,039  1.127  1.853 

10  320  738 

293  3,224  430 

151  351  422 

22,365,345  40,160,702  69,936,381 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

5,941  2,591  12.153 

5,198  1,448  4,907 

42  4,529 

.?11  1,041  1,015 

175   612 

147  48  461 

92   245 

181 

15,090,621  9,699,601  36.708,387 

Tons  Tons  Tons 

22,882  43  22,649 

22,605   22,044 

2,370,803  3,721  4,635,789 


BRAZII, 


^3 


234 
230 


Castor  seed :  Tons 

Total 

United   States 

Spain   

Total  value — Milreis  paper 
Castor  seed  oil : 

Total 

Spain    

Italy   

France     

United    States 

Total  value — Milreis  paper 
Cotton  seed  oil : 

Total 

France   

Netherlands    

Uruguay    

Total  value — Milreis  paper 
Lard: 

Total 3 

France   1 

Italy     

Belgium   

Netherlands    

United    Kingdom    (on 
orders) 

United    Kingdom 

Total  value — Milreis  paper  4,841 

Timber  and  lumber  :  Tons 

Total 38,075 

Uruguay    5,066 

Argentina     30,405 

United  States 2,003 

Portugal    509 

Spain    

Total  value — Milreis  paper  2,622,446 


Tons 


947 

471 


53,823 
Tons 


10,270 
Tons 


Tons 


315,796 
Tons 
333 


3 
161 
327,872 
Tons 


Tons 


5,922 

Tons 

82,815 

10,317 

66.456 

4,007 

1,382 

7 

6,668,281 


Tons 
5,227 
4,693 
40 

2,467,774 

Tons 

678 
6 

88 

551 
1,120,848 
Tons 
1,136 


217 

1,588,057 

Tons 

10,234 

4.684 

3,414 


706 

17,744,825 

Tons 

64,263 

10,429 

46,447 

6,873 

207 


6,151,S 


Tons 

4,06S 

2,415 

1,082 

2,761,610 

Tons 

3,830 

203 

1,245 

797 

669 

10,112,958 

Tons 

2,079 


219 
4,862,639 

Tons 
13,270 
3,579 
3,730 


734 

2,158 

26,161,205 

Tons 

179,799 

59,597 

113,918 

4,574 

699 

40 

21,090,137 


Tons 

23,777 

21,619 

796 

10,602,161 

Tons 

1,390 

337 

297 

256 

180 

2,767,226 

Tons 

2,230 

1,081 

440 

45 

4,061,033 

Tons 

20,028 

5,268 

6,723 

2,322 

1,476 

1,365 
1,219 

39,889,484 

Tons 

103,823 

22,105 

62,656 

6,628 

4,698 

2,550 

13,316,596 


WATERWAYS  AND  RAILWAYS 

Steamship  lines  connect  the  principal  ports  of  Brazil  with  many  of 
the  ports  of  the  United  States  and  Europe.  Fifty  trans-Atlantic  lines 
are  registered  as  touching  these  ports,  but  many  of  them  continue 
southward  to  the  River  de  la  Plata  and  thus  offer  an  international 
service  in  the  South  American  sense  of  the  word.  From  New  York 
there  is  a  departure  once  a  week  of  passenger  steamers,  with  modern 
express  service  every  14  days,  the  schedule  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  being 
about  16  days,  with  a  stop  at  Bahia.  Between  Rio  and  Europe  (most 
ports  from  Hamburg,  Southampton,  Havre,  etc.,  to  Lisbon)  steamers 
two  or  three  times  a  week  are  available,  the  time  to  or  from  Lisbon 
being  from  11  to  16  days.  Italian,  Spanish  and  Austrian  steamers  go 
through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  to  Barcelona  and  beyond.  Most  steam- 
ers having  Rio  in  their  itinerary  go  into  the  port  of  Santos,  200  miles 
(322  kilometers),  where  is  shipped  the  greater  proportion  of  Brazilian 
coffee  and  through  which  the  commerce  of  Sao  Paulo  passes.  There 
are  steamers  from  both  the  United  States  and  Europe,  making  sched- 
uled stops  along  the  coast,  sometimes  going  through  the  Strait  of 
iMagellan  and  up  to  Valparaiso.  The  first  port  touched  by  some  steam- 
ers is  Pernambuco  (Recife),  3,982  miles  (6,408  kilometers)  from 
New  York,  4,065  miles  (6,542  kilometers)  from  Liverpool.  The  city 
is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  Brazil,  and  shows  the  early  Dutch 
influences.     It  is  being  rapidly  modernized,  with  new  docks  and  harbor 


"  To  Uruguay. 


BRAZIL  27 

works,  new  avenues  and  many  fine  buildings.  Bahia  is  at  present  the 
first  port  on  most  schedules.  Picturesque  in  the  extreme,  on  the  beau- 
tiful All  vSaints'  Bay,  it  lies  on  the  hills  overlooking  the  harbor,  second 
to  Rio  in  beauty.  Here,  too,  rapid  progress  has  been  made  in  equip- 
ping the  docks  and  in  reconstructing  the  city,  so  that  not  only  will 
the  growing  commerce  be  accommodated,  but  also  the  increasing 
stream  of  travelers  will  find  that  due  provision  has  been  made  for  their 
welfare.  From  Bahia  to  Rio  is  738  miles  ( 1.187  kilometers),  a  pleasant 
two  days'  passage,  the  intermediate  ports  being  ports  of  call  for  coast- 
ing steamers.  There  are  mmierous  such  steamers,  some  making  only 
short  runs  from  the  home  port,  others  extending  the  service  along  the 
entire  coast  and  even  to  Manaos  on  the  Amazon  and  Corumba  on  the 
Paraguay.  The  ports  touched  include  Manaos,  Para,  Sao  Luiz 
(^Maranhao),  Parnahyba.  Ceara  (Fortaleza),  Natal,  Cabedello  (Para- 
hyba),  Recife,  Maceio,  Aracaju,  Bahia,  Victoria,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  San- 
tos, Paranagua,  Sao  Francisco,  Atajahy,  Florianopolis  (Desterro),  Rio 
Grande,  Pelotas  and  Porto  Alegre.  It  is  necessary  to  make  use  of 
these  coasting  vessels  to  reach  most  of  the  ports  mentioned,  excepting 
of  course  the  larger  cities  and  those  of  the  Amazon  and  Paraguay 
rivers,  where  a  foreign  service  is  available. 

The  total  extent  of  the  railways  of  Brazil  at  the  end  of  1917,  accord- 
ing to  the  latest  report  of  the  Minister  of  Communications  and  Public 
Works,  was  27,603  kilometers,  or  17,1.51  miles,  including  federal, 
private  and  state  railroads.  The  same  report  showed  that  3,577  kilo- 
meters ( 2,222  miles )  were  under  construction. 

The  railways  of  Brazil  were  originally  established  with  the  purpose 
of  bringing  the  products  of  a  contributing  interior  territory  to  the 
nearest  seaport  and  of  distributing  to  this  interior  the  merchandise 
brought  in  from  abroad.  Recife  (Pernambuco)  is  the  focus  of  one 
system,  Sao  Salvador  (Bahia)  of  another,  Rio  de  Janeiro  of  a  third, 
Sao  Paulo  an'd  Santos  (the  coffee  region)  of  a  fourth,  and  Rio  Grande  do 
Sul.  in  the  extreme  south,  of  a  fifth  system.  In  recent  years  the  Govern- 
ment has  felt  the  great  need  of  connecting  these  various  systems  by 
interior  railways  running  north  and  south,  both  to  afit'ord  interior  com- 
munication independent  of  the  ocean  and  to  stimulate  an  internal 
commerce  and  settlement.  This  plan  has  been  successful  north  and 
south  of  Recife,  so  that  today  it  is  possible  to  travel  by  rail  between 
the  ports  of  Natal  and  Maceio;  in  like  manner  Rio  de  Janeiro  has  been 
connected  with  Sao  Paulo,  Porto  Alegre,  and  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  and 
also  with  the  growing  port  of  Victoria,  north  of  the  capital.  South 
of  Sao  Paulo,  through  the  States  of  Parana,  Santa  Catharina,  and  Rio 
Grande  do  Sul,  toward  the  Uruguayan  frontier,  connection  is  estab- 
lished between  the  lines  in  these  States  and  those  of  Uruguav,  so  that 


28  THK    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION 

it  is  possible  to  travel  by  rail  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  to  Montevideo,  a  total 
length  of  1,967  miles  (3,165  kilometers).  The  Federal  Capital  as  well 
as  the  larger  cities  are  served  by  street  railways.  The  many  streams 
in  the  Republic  are  capable  of  furnishing  an  enormous  power  for 
electrical  purposes,  and  it  is  proposed  to  electrify  certain  portions  of 
the  railway  lines  already  in  existence. 

Brazil  has  been  favored  by  nature  with  a  most  wonderful  system  of 
fluvial  arteries.  It  has  within  its  territory  not  only  the  largest  river 
basin,  both  in  area  and  in  length,  in  the  world,  but  has  also  perhaps 
more  navigable  rivers  than  any  other  country.  The  mighty  Amazon 
is  navigable  almost  for  its  entire  length,  as  are  most  of  its  affluents, 
while  in  the  southern  part  of  Brazil  the  Paraguay,  Uruguay  and 
Parana  rivers  are  all  navigable.  The  Republic  has  over  10,000  miles 
of  navigable  waterways  open  to  river  steamers  and  ocean-going  ves- 
sels, and  20,000  miles  additional  which  are  navigable  for  light-draft 
and  flat-bottom  boats  only.  Several  steamship  companies  maintain  a 
regular  service  between  points  on  these  rivers,  plying  on  the  Amazon, 
Negro,  Purus,  Madeira,  Pardo,  Tapajoz,  Para,  Jurua  and  Javary. 
Local  steamers  ply  between  Para  and  Obidos,  on  the  Amazon  River, 
and  on  the  Araguara  River  from  the  city  of  Belem  (Para)  to  inland 
points.  The  Guama,  Tocantins  and  Sao  Francisco  rivers  also  have 
regular  steamer  traffic. 

The  most  important  of  the  Brazilian  lakes  are  the  Lagoa  dos  Patos 
and  the  Lagoa  Merim.  This  latter  lake  forms  part  of  the  boundary 
line  with  Uruguay,  and  the  two  make  a  considerable  body  of  navigable 
water.  The  former  is  an  enlargement  of  the  Jacuhy  River  near  its 
mouth  in  the  Atlantic.  It  is  about  140  miles  long  and  40  miles  broad. 
At  its  northern  end  is  the  important  city  of  Porto  Alegre,  and  at  the 
southern  point  is  the  seaport  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul. 

Conditions  of  travel  in  Brazil  differ  somewhat  from  those  in  many 
other  countries,  because,  as  may  be  noticed  in  the  statement  of  steam- 
ships and  railways,  the  Republic  is  divided  into  several  travel  and 
commercial  sections,  each  one  of  which  is  relatively  independent  of 
the  others.  For  instance,  the  immense  region  of  the  Amazon  valley 
can  be  entered  only  by  steamers  from  New  York  or  Europe,  or  by 
coastwise  lines  from  the  south  ;  but  there  are  no  passenger  steamers 
making  ports  of  call  at  Para  or  Manaos,  which  have  these  places  on 
their  regular  itinerary  between  Europe  or  the  United  States,  and  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  [mportant  centers  like  Maceio,  Victoria  or  Porto  Alegre, 
while  they  are  coming  closer  in  touch  with  the  main  capitals  like  Rio, 
Sao  Paulo  or  Bahia,  are  nevertheless  to  be  considered  as  areas  still 
separated  from  the  capital  and,  as  distances  are  so  great  in  Brazil, 
plans  to  visit  them  must  be  carefully  arranged  in  advance.     Only  a 


30  THK    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION 

few  suggestions  can  be  given,  therefore,  in  this  paragraph.  Through 
passenger  steamers  from  both  the  United  States  and  Europe  have  on 
their  schedules  Bahia  (in  some  cases,  Pernambuco),  before  arriving 
at  Rio  de  Janeiro.  If  the  traveler  remains  on  that  steamer,  he  has 
time  only  to  visit  the  city  as  a  tourist,  and  should  business  be  his 
object,  he  should  plan  to  see  Rio  first  and  to  return  later  for  a  longer 
stay.  The  new  docks  at  Bahia  are  now  open  so  that  steamers  lie 
alongside,  and  passengers  can  step  directly  ashore,  ascend  by  one  of 
the  elevators  to  the  upper  city  and  take  a  trolley  car  to  various  parts. 
At  Rio  de  Janeiro  steamers  now  go  to  the  docks,  where  cabs  and  car- 
riages are  available  for  passage  to  all  parts  of  the  city.  The  cost  of 
living  is  relatively  high  there,  but  this  refers  principally  to  the  pur- 
chase of  many  of  the  needs  of  the  permanent  resident,  for  hotel  rates 
are  not  above  those  in  the  large  cities  of  the  United  States.  All  com- 
mercial prices  are  given  in  terms  of  the  paper  milreis,  the  gold  milreis 
($0.54)  being  reserved  for  financial  and  international  transactions. 
If  the  traveler  is  not  eager  to  save  time,  it  is  advisable  to  use  the  day 
trains  between  interior  points,  because  he  thereby  gains  practical  insight 
into  the  people  and  customs  of  the  country,  and  in  almost  every  case 
he  enjoys  beautiful  scenery,  sometimes  finding  landscapes  not  excelled 
in  Europe  or  the  United  States  for  loveliness.  This  is  particularly 
true  of  the  trip  between  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Sao  Paulo,  which  should  be 
made  by  day ;  between  Sao  Paulo  and  Santos ;  between  Curityba  and 
Paranagua,  or  between  Rio  and  \'ictoria.  In  going  from  one  capital 
to  another,  however,  as  between  Rio  and  Bahia,  or  from  Sao  Paulo  to 
Porto  Alegre,  the  traveler  must,  in  other  cases,  make  use  of  a  coasting 
steamer,  or  should  follow  the  judgment  of  long  residents  of  Brazil 
as  to  which  is  the  more  comfortable  and  expeditious  route.  Nearly 
every  State  in  Brazil  has  within  easy  reach  of  its  capital  some  pleasure 
or  health  resorts,  either  on  the  coast  or  in  the  mountains.  The  best 
known  of  all  these  places  are,  however,  within  travel  radius  of  Rio  and 
Sao  Paulo.  Petropolis,  in  the  mountains  above  Rio,  is  famous  both 
for  its  climate  and  its  fashion.  In  it  much  of  the  diplomatic  life  of  the 
capital  has  its  residence,  and  now  that  it  is  within  a  pleasant  two  hours' 
ride  of  Rio  many  doing  business  in  the  city  are  able  to  have  their 
homes  there.  A  watering  place  in  all  senses  of  the  word  is  that  of 
Caxambu,  in  the  State  of  Alinas  Geraes,  within  a  day's  journey  of  the 
capital,  at  an  elevation  of  2,800  feet  (853  meters).  There  are  fine 
mineral  springs,  bathing  establishments  and  hotels  for  visitors.  The 
waters  are  bottled  and  sold  all  over  the  country,  both  for  table  and 
health  purposes.  On  the  ocean  front,  near  Santos,  is  a  seaside  resort, 
Guaruja,  which  is  becoming  popular  with  all  classes  of  society.  No 
country'  in  the  world  has  a  greater  variety  of  scenery  than  Brazil,  from 


31 

000  288  828"  "? 

the  vastness  of  the  Amazon  to  the  beautitui  umuoi  w.  _   o  or  the  wild 

gorges  of  the  Falls  of  Guayra  and  of  Iguazu,  although  there  are  no 
imposing  mountains  such  as  are  seen  in  Switzerland,  or  the  Andes. 
Much  of  the  interior  of  Brazil  cannot  yet  be  easily  visited  by  a  hurried 
traveler,  but  within  the  coming  generation  the  natural  picturesqueness 
will  receive  the  attention  it  deserves. 

EDUCATION 

In  1823,  immediately  after  independence  from  Europe  was  secured, 
an  ambition  for  education  was  newly  developed  in  the  then  empire, 
and  a  decree  was  issued  authorizing  any  citizen  to  establish  private 
schools.  The  present  constitution  of  the  Republic  gives  Congress  the 
power  to  develop  literature,  arts  and  sciences,  but  all  instruction  remains 
secular,  if  given  in  public  institutions.  Each  State  exercises  control 
over  education  within  its  own  borders.  In  some  States  primary  instruc- 
tion is  compulsory,  and  in  all  of  them  the  public  school  system  is  receiv- 
ing abundant  attention.  In  order  to  make  industrial  education  more 
general,  the  Federal  Government  imder  some  circumstances  aids  a 
state,  municii)al  or  private  school  which  meets  requirements ;  it  also 
aids  schools  in  agricultural  colonies,  148  such  schools  being  assisted 
in  the  State  of  Santa  Catharina  and  96  in  the  State  of  Parana.  Primarv 
education  carries  the  child  to  the  age  of  11  or  over.  The  Federal  Gov- 
ernment maintains  a  secondary  school,  "Collegio  Pedro  II,"  in  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  which  is  the  standard  for  state  and  private  secondary  institu- 
tions desiring  government  recognition.  Its  five-year  course  includes 
the  study  of  Portuguese,  French,  English  or  German,  Latin,  geography, 
history,  mathematics,  physics  and  chemistry,  natural  histor)^  philos- 
ophy, drawing  and  physical  training.  Normal  schools  are  scattered 
throughout  the  Republic.  Higher  education  is  given  mainly  in  separate 
professional  schools  rather  than  in  universities,  but  there  are  state 
universities  in  Parana  and  Manaos,  and  on  September  7,  1920,  the 
Federal  Government  consolidated  into  a  university  the  faculties  of 
medicine  and  law  and  the  polytechnic  school  hitherto  maintained  as 
separate  institutions  in  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The  Federal  Government  also 
supports  law  faculties  in  Sao  Paulo  and  Pernambuco,  and  a  faculty  of 
medicine  at  Bahia.  There  is  a  state  school  of  mines  at  Ouro  Preto. 
Schools  of  law,  medicine,  pharmacy,  dentistry  and  engineering 
branches  are  found  in  the  larger  cities,  as  well  as  numerous  fine  arts 
institutions,  commercial  and  trade  schools,  and  a  large  number  of 
excellent  agricultural  schools.  In  order  to  raise  the  standard  of  tech- 
nical, industrial,  agricultural  and  veterinary  training  in  the  country, 
the  Federal  Government  each  year  sends  abroad  about  50  students, 
chosen  from  among  those  showing  the  greatest  proficiency  in  their 
particular  line.     Many  of  these  have  come  to  the  United  States. 


T}fE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION  is  the  inter- 
national  organization  and  office  maintained  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  by  the  twentj'-one  American 
republics,  as  follows:  Argentina,  Bolivia,  Brazil, 
Chile,  Colombia,  Costa  Rica,  Cuba,  Dominican  Re- 
public, Ecuador,  Guatemala,  Haiti,  Honduras,  Mexico, 
Nicaragua,  Panama,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Salvador, 
United  States,  Uruguay,  and  Venezuela.  It  is  de- 
voted to  the  development  of  commerce,  friendly 
intercourse,  good  understanding  and  the  preserva- 
tion of  peace  among  these  countries.  It  is  supported 
by  quotas  contributed  by  each  country,  based  upon 
their  population.  Its  afifairs  are  administered  by 
a  Director  General  and  Assistant  Director,  elected 
by  and  responsible  to  a  Governing  Board  which  is 
composed  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United 
States  and  the  diplomatic  representatives  in  Wash- 
ington of  the  other  American  governments.  These 
two  executive  officers  are  assisted  by  a  staff  of  inter- 
national experts,  statisticians,  commercial  specialists, 
editors,  translators,  compilers,  librarians,  clerks  and 
stenographers.  The  Union  publishes  a  Monthly 
Bulletin  in  English,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese,  which 
is  a  careful  record  of  Pan  American  progress.  It 
also  publishes  numerous  special  reports  and  descrip- 
tive pamphlets  on  various  Pan  American  subjects  of 
practical  information.  Its  library,  the  Columbus 
Memorial  Library,  contains  50,000  volumes,  23,000 
photographs,  175,000  index  cards,  and  a  large  collec- 
tion of  maps.  The  Union  is  housed  in  a  beautiful 
building  erected  through  the  munificence  of  Andrew 
Carnegie  and  the  contributions  of  the  American 
republics. 


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